Anup Shah considers himself a fine art photographer, and his amazing B&W images of wild beasts in Africa definitely take wildlife photography to a whole new level. Now based in the UK, Shah grew up in Kenya, where he says, “Wildlife was just outside the door in abundance.”

We don’t subscribe to the notion of some so-called purists that “Photoshop” is a dirty word. After all, some of the best works of iconic film photographers owe their impact to a mastery of the darkroom. The before and after images you see here from young Russian digital artist Max Asabin show that he definitely pushes the envelope when it comes to the digital darkroom.

Richard Koci Hernandez considers himself a “visual journalist,” and he’s widely recognized for his stark, dramatic B&W street photography that conveys his keen sense of composition and a gritty, curious view of society. His work has appeared in major newspapers and magazines both here in the U.S. and abroad.

Michael Paul Smith is both an artist and a photographer (and a self-proclaimed recluse) who used his ingenuity, model-building expertise, and some miniature model cars to create these very realistic views of the small towns he recalled from his childhood. The short video below illustrates Smith’s project (and includes the perfect soundtrack for kicking off your work week).

Andrew Miller is an acclaimed adventure photographer who has traveled the world with his snowboard, looking for spectacular mountains to climb, photograph and descend on his board. The stunning images you see here are from his recent trip to Alaska.

Sometimes less is more as you can see in these striking graphic images from Dutch architectural photographer Theo Peekstok. Working mostly in black-and-white, Peekstok's minimalist style reduces his scenes to their key elements and nothing more.

Cuban-born photographer Abelardo Morell has been making and using walk-in camera obscuras for the past 15 years with the goal of capturing the outside world in interesting and unique ways. His latest effort is essentially a giant pinhole camera that collapses and folds up like any large tent. Morrell took the above image of the Old Faithful geyser at Yellowstone National Park.

Craig Burrows is a California-based photographer who uses his background in physics to create these amazing images that he refers to as “alternative light photography.” The photographs you see here capture the glowing wavelengths of light emitted by plants that aren’t visible to the human eye.

It’s been a long week, so we though we’d share some impressive eye candy from conceptual fine art photographer Johnny Tang, who says, “I love making art that’s easy on the eyes.” His humorous and minding-bending self-portraits are both creative and fun to observe.

Frenchman Eric Pillot is a photographer with a unique perspective on wildlife photography. He has traveled throughout Europe making portraits of animals posing within artificial settings reflecting their natural habitats.

Russian photographer Kristina Makeeva decided to spend three days exploring frozen Lake Baikal, the deepest, oldest, and cleanest lake on Earth. While walking the frozen surface of the lake, she made these captivating Images.

Chris Burkard is an adventure photographer who travels the world looking for epic images of our untamed planet. He recently garnered a lot of attention for the once-in-a-lifetime shot above of a surfer in Iceland lit by the Northern Lights, and the video below gives you the backstory.

Early in our talk, Sebastian Copeland mentions the relationship of art with nature, and how photographers who work outdoors end up loving the landscape and wanting to preserve the environment. He adds, “I’m fond of saying, ‘He who walks the land will become a warrior in its defense.’ It’s hard to venture into nature and the wild and appreciate the beauty of extraordinary landscapes and not feel a sense of responsibility to make sure they remain.”